She looked around. “Looks like everyone is here, so we should get started.”
Within minutes, the mayor had everyone organized and working. Leif and Mitch were assigned to prune a row of bushes, a job Leif could do without a lot of bending or lifting. He dropped a handful of cuttings into the five-gallon bucket they’d been given. “That woman would’ve made a great drill sergeant.”
Mitch laughed. “Yeah, although I was thinking offensive line coach.”
About thirty minutes in, a woman with white hair and a sweet smile slowly made her way across the yard to where they stood. She had a pair of heavily loaded plastic bags tied to the front of her walker.
“You boys are so nice to be here helping today. You looked like you could use a cold drink.” As she held out a bottle of water to each of them, she stared hard at Leif. “I know Mitch here. I had him in my English class back when I was teaching, but I don’t think you and I have met. I’m Maggie Shaw.”
“No, ma’am, we haven’t. I’ve only been in Snowberry Creek for a few weeks. I’m staying at Spence Lang’s house.” Leif twisted the top off his bottle. “Thank you for this.”
“I heard about Spence. He was always a bit wild, but a good boy at heart. I always enjoyed having him in my class.” She glanced down at Leif’s left leg. “I’m guessing you got that while serving with him.”
It still felt odd to meet all these people who’d known Spence as a kid. “Yeah, I did. We were deployed three times together.”
“Thank you for your service to our country, Leif. I bet your folks are proud of you.” She lifted up the second bag. “I may not be as good at gardening as I used to be, but there’s nothing wrong with my ability to bake. Help yourself.”
Leif peeked into the bag and grinned. “Brownies! My favorite.”
She beamed with pleasure. “Take two, then. I have plenty more in the house.”
Mitch shouldered him aside and cranked up his grin a notch. “Ms. Shaw, it’s a pleasure to see you again. You’re looking good.”
She rolled her faded blue eyes. “Mitch, I didn’t fall for your charm back then, and it won’t work now. However, since you’re being kind enough to help me out, you can have two as well.”
Mitch laughed and leaned in close enough to kiss the elderly woman on the cheek. “You always were my favorite teacher, maybe because you didn’t put up with any of my sh— uh, my antics.”
Maggie chuckled. “Good catch, Mitch. Well, I’d better keep moving. Let me know if you need anything else, gentlemen.”
Leif went back to pruning but kept an eye on her progress as she moved from one volunteer to the next. Mitch glanced in her direction. “She’s something, isn’t she? I was serious about what I said. No one got away with anything in her class, but she was fair and really taught us a lot. Thanks to her, I still cringe when I hear someone confuse ‘less’ and ‘fewer’ when they’re talking.”
He smiled and went back to work. “If we had to spend our afternoon sweating in the sun, I’m glad it’s to help her out.”
Leif agreed. Gage had said they only had to show up once to make up for the night they’d gotten into that bar fight, but it was nice to be doing something worthwhile. Part of the reason he’d joined the army was his need to serve. Trimming bushes might not be the same as patrolling the streets of Afghanistan, but it was still satisfying.
Mitch picked up their full bucket. “I’ll go dump this, but you keep working. If we don’t look like we’re doing our fair share, Ms. Shaw won’t come by with another bag of those brownies you like so much.”
“Yeah, bite me, Calder.”
But just in case Mitch was right, Leif kicked it into high gear.
• • •
It was a long five hours, but the volunteer crew had made quite a difference in the yard. Maggie made a point of thanking everyone and even hugged Mitch when she got to him. She moved on to the mayor.
“Rosalyn, thank you again for setting this up. I can’t believe how nice everything looks out here, and they even finished all the work inside, too. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help next time you set up a work party like this.”
“I will, Ms. Shaw. I’m just glad we could help.”
Leif nodded at both women as he carried his tools back to the truck. Mitch had stopped to talk to the father of an old friend, so Leif leaned against the side of the truck and waited. The rest of the volunteers waved as they drove away, even calling him by name. His list of connections here in Snowberry Creek was growing by leaps and bounds.
He’d just turned to wave back at Mr. Reed when he realized Maggie was making her way to where he stood. He stepped forward to save her having to come that far. “Was there something you needed, Ms. Shaw?”
She shook her head and held out a bag. “I bundled up a few more of the brownies for you, Leif. “
He accepted the gift with a smile. “I’d say you shouldn’t have, but I try not to lie.”
She laughed. “Enjoy those and stop by anytime. I’d love to make my special chicken potpie for you sometime.”
“I’d enjoy that, although I don’t know how long I’ll be here in Snowberry Creek. The army might have plans for me.”
“Well, if you do get a chance, just give me a call. I put my number in the bag. If you don’t, stay safe, soldier.”
That was easier said than done, but he settled for saying, “I’ll do my best, ma’am.”
“ And when it comes time to put down some roots, you won’t find a better place to live than right here in Snowberry Creek.”
“You know, I think you might just be right about that.”
“Good. Now go enjoy the rest of your day. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than standing around gabbing with me.”
Leif winked at her. “That’s not true. There’s nothing better than hanging around with an attractive, intelligent woman.”
She laughed. “You’re as bad as that rascal Mitch.”
The football player had just walked up beside her. “Did I hear my name being bandied about?”
Maggie turned her smile in his direction. “Yes, you did. It was nice to see you, Mitch. I’ve been following your career. Even had you on my fantasy team. Now take your friend here and go do something fun.”
“Will do. And you take care, Ms. Shaw.”
“I always do, Mitch. I always do.”
Leif and Mitch got into the truck, but he waited until she safely reached her front door before starting the engine. “Nice lady, but I’m ready for those steaks.”
He flipped open his phone and hit Austin’s number on speed dial. “Hey, kid, we’re on the way. Get those coals burning because we’re coming home hungry.”
• • •
Zoe traced the name on the patient file for her next appointment with her fingertip: Leif Brevik. Her heart lurched in her chest, aching to see him and hating the thought of it in equal measure.
It had been a long two weeks. Except for that chance meeting at the restaurant, they hadn’t spoken since That Night. For her, the words were even capitalized in her mind because those precious few hours with Leif in her bed carried so much weight that the words should as well.
What about Leif? Had he emerged unchanged by the experience? It sure appeared so. The few times she’d dared to check on him as he and Mitch Calder had worked out under Isaac’s careful eye, Leif had been laughing and joking around with the other two men. If he’d been aware of her watching him, he’d given no sign of it.
Any second now Brandi would announce his arrival. That had her up and moving toward the door, stopping to check her appearance in the small mirror on the wall. The best she could say was that she looked neat and professional. In other words, plain. Maybe she should’ve left her hair down. When her hand strayed toward the clip, she jerked it back down to her side. This was ridiculous.
Leif didn’t care about how she wore her hair. Her looks didn’t matter to him now; only her training and skills did. She ran her hand
s across her hair, making sure it was all tidy. Good enough.
“A bit of lipstick would give you some color. I could loan you mine if you left yours at home.”
Great. Brandi had caught her primping. Zoe flinched and turned her back on the woman in the mirror. “No thanks, Brandi. I’m pretty sure black lipstick isn’t my color.”
Her assistant laughed. “True enough, but I happen to have this other one with me.”
She tossed the tube toward Zoe, giving her no choice but to catch it. Not that she was interested in putting any on. Still, her curiosity demanded she at least check out the color. One look and the battle was lost. It was the perfect shade for Zoe’s coloring, not to mention how well it went with the blouse she had on.
She gave Brandi a suspicious look. “You went out at lunch and bought this for me, didn’t you?”
Brandi didn’t bother to deny it. Instead, she shot Zoe an impish grin. “It’s no biggie. They were having a two-for-one sale.” She giggled. “You should have seen the look on the lady’s face when I bought that one and then a tube of green for myself. I told her I had multiple personality disorder and my other half was boring and conservative.”
Feeling vaguely insulted, Zoe was tempted to lob the lipstick back at her younger friend. On the other hand, insulting or not, there was a grain of truth in Brandi’s assessment. Other than those few fleeting moments with Leif, Zoe’s life was boring and had been for way too long. Outside of work and household chores, there wasn’t much else in it.
She turned back to the mirror and put the lipstick to use. Well, what do you know? The little bit of color did do wonders for her looks and her mood. “There. Are you happy?”
“Happier, but that lipstick is just a start. For sure your blouse is a definite improvement over your usual office attire. Progress is being made, but we have a long way to go, lady.”
Brandi stepped out of the room and pointed down the hall with a great flourish. “Next up, I suggest you try out that lipstick on the handsome guy down the hall in room three. Go get him, tiger.”
That lurching feeling was back in Zoe’s chest, but it was time to face the music—and the man who had haunted both her daylight hours and her midnight dreams for far too long. Putting off the encounter even another few seconds would serve no purpose other than to stir up more acid in her stomach.
She marched down the hall with Leif’s chart that contained Isaac’s latest report on his progress. A couple of other patients on their way out passed her and smiled. Zoe knew them both and normally would’ve stopped to chat. Not today. She needed to keep moving; she wasn’t sure she could get started again if she stopped now.
After rapping on the door of the examination room, she paused to listen for Leif’s response. It wasn’t long in coming.
“I’m here.”
Taking a deep breath, Zoe stepped into the room. How had she never noticed it was barely bigger than a closet? Of course, maybe that had more to do with the size of the man standing in the center of the floor, taking up far more space than he should have.
“Leif.”
“Zoe.”
Okay, this shouldn’t have to be this awkward. She tried again. Motioning to the bench behind him. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
When he got settled, she pulled her stool toward the opposite wall and sat down as well. “So, how are you feeling today? How’s the leg?”
“Fine.”
Yeah, right. If that was true, why the dark circles under his eyes, not to mention the gray cast to his skin? He’d also phoned in a request a few days ago for a refill on his pain meds. She called him on the lie.
“Leif, we’ve already established that I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
He smiled softly and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Leif leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs and pinched his nose as if his head hurt. He stared down at the floor for the longest time. Rather than press him for an immediate answer, Zoe waited him out, giving him all the time he needed. Besides, with Leif, pushing him too hard would likely give her the opposite result of what she wanted.
Finally, he leaned back and stared at her, his eyes hooded and dull. “Okay, yeah, I hurt. At least a seven on your scale, so why don’t we start with you telling me what you think of Isaac’s report?”
There was no use in trying to sugarcoat it for him. Straight-up honesty would go a lot further with Leif. “The numbers aren’t worse, but certainly not a lot better.”
“So I’m screwed.”
“How so?”
“Because I’ve done the exercises until I’m blue in the face. Every morning. Every night. And for all that effort, I get nothing.”
Zoe hated seeing him look so defeated. It made her want to hug the man and tell him it would all be okay. But she knew the last thing he wanted right now was to be coddled and told a pack of lies.
“Okay, you’ve told me what you’ve been doing right. What have you been doing wrong?”
He jerked back as if she’d hit him with a pitcher of ice water. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. What else have you been doing that might have aggravated the injury?”
His reaction was immediate and furious. “You mean other than having wild monkey sex with you?”
At least he kept his voice down to an angry growl. She supposed she should be grateful for even that much. She hated the fact that she was blushing, but she would power through this somehow. “Yes, Leif, other than that. Any more episodes like that one? If so, what were you doing that might have triggered it?”
“Yes, I’ve had several smaller episodes and a couple of bigger ones, but none as bad as what happened that night when I . . . when we were . . . Hell, you know what I mean.”
Yeah, she did. Her cheeks were flaming now, but she did her best to sound more in control than she felt. “And what did you do when it happened?”
“I was able to walk it off like you would any other charley horse.”
Then he smirked just a little. “And although you didn’t ask, I wasn’t having wild monkey sex at the time. That only happened with you. The next bad cramp hit when I’d been watching television and went to get up because I needed to take a leak.”
Zoe kept writing without looking up. If he’d expected to shock her with his comments, he was bound to be disappointed. She hoped he couldn’t tell how relieved she was. They’d agreed not to see each other again. That didn’t mean she was ready to hear that he’d already charmed his way into someone else’s bed.
“And the second time?”
“I’d been vacuuming the downstairs of the house. I was using one of those lightweight models. I hardly worked up a sweat pushing it around.”
She pulled out the physical therapy report and quickly reviewed it again. Isaac’s remarks had ended with the comment that he thought maybe Leif would benefit from a consultation with either an orthopedic doctor or a neurologist. She agreed with her friend’s assessment. She stared at the paper, wishing like heck she had something more positive to offer Leif.
“Come on, Zoe, tell me. Not knowing is a helluva lot worse than hearing the bad news. Give it to me straight up. I can handle it.”
She hoped so. Her decision made, she set his chart aside and rolled her stool closer to him. “Isaac suggested, and I agree, that we should have a couple of specialists evaluate your case.”
His eyes flared wide. “Two different doctors? Is it that bad?”
“Not necessarily. One is a bone specialist and the other is a nerve specialist, so they approach this kind of case from different perspectives. I’m hoping the combination of their input will give us a clearer picture of what’s going on.”
Leif sighed, but nodded. “God, I hate doctors. No offense.”
“None taken. Besides, I’m not a doctor, which is another reason I think this is a good idea. I could ask Dr. Tenberg to review your case, but he’s a family practitioner.”
There was so much more she wanted to ask him. Did he hurt as much as she did? Yet now wasn’t the time. “With your permission, I’ll have Brandi set you up with someone local.”
“What choice do I have? I can’t hang out here in Snowberry Creek forever.”
Did he have to sound so darn anxious to leave? Not that she’d given him any real reason to stay. She realized he was still talking. “I’m sorry, Leif. I didn’t catch that last part.”
“I asked if I should keep seeing Isaac until I can get in to see the doctors?”
“It couldn’t hurt. Despite the lack of improvement in flexibility, your leg did improve in strength.”
“That’s something, I guess.”
When she reached to open the door, he asked, “What about you? How have you been doing? You know, since we last saw each other?”
What did he want her to say? What good would it do either of them for her to admit how much she hurt, how much she missed him?
“Fine.”
Leif actually laughed. When she glanced back at him, there was a devilish twinkle in his dark eyes. “You know, as a wise woman once told me, I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
If she was drawn to Leif when he was hurting, he was even more irresistible when he was being charming. “On scale of one to ten, I’m a five.”
He called her on it. “Liar. Tell me I’m not the only one with big-time regrets.”
“Okay, Leif, I have regrets, but nothing has changed. You want out of Snowberry Creek, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. My days of being somebody’s good time on R&R are long over. I’ve got more pride than that.”
Oops. Wrong thing to say. Leif was up and heading right for her, his dark eyes blazing with fury. She quickly pushed the door closed and braced herself against it.
Leif crowded close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his big body even through all the layers of clothing between them. He was breathing as hard as if he’d hiked a mile to reach her.
“Don’t you dare insult what we had, Zoe. I’ve never once acted as if you were just a good time on Saturday night. It meant more to me than that. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t be hurting like this.”
More Than a Touch: A Snowberry Creek Novel Page 22
